Patricia Cone

Patricia Jane Loe Cone died peacefully at the age of 99, the morning of Thursday, March 3, 2022, in Odessa, Texas, just 3 months shy of turning 100 years old. She was laid to rest next to her beloved husband at Sunset Memorial Gardens.

She is preceded in death by her husband Jesse Donald Cone Jr. MD, a long time Odessa Family Physician, to whom she was married to for 66 years.

Pat was born in Burkburnett, Texas on June 15, 1922. She was the eldest child of Isham Burnet Loe and Jane Hollingsworth Loe and had two younger brothers, Burnet Loe and David Loe, now deceased. The Loe family moved from Burkburnett to Rochester and finally to Raymondville, Texas, where Pat had a beloved pony named Sally who frequently broke into the family home. She was studious and civic minded from an early age. At the age of five, Pat formed The Jolly Club together with four other girls, all of whom remained friends and maintained correspondence for most of their lives. Her early interest in social organization laid a foundation for skills she employed for good works all her life. She did get into mischief however, getting her father’s 1939 Chevy coupe stuck on railroad tracks, requiring the neighborhood farmer to tow the car, causing extra chores for a month. Pat developed interest in The Church of Christ in Raymondville, becoming instrumental in her family’s devotion to God. Pat was a devout Christian and a member of the 6th and Jackson Church of Christ for many years, her Christian values defining her life. Pat went to Abilene Christian College (now University) where she met her future husband, JD, who would court Pat by singing loudly to her, both to her delight and embarrassment. They were married in 1944.

Pat developed a love of science in college, specifically chemistry, which she used to tutor medical students when her husband was in medical school and create a homemade hair bleaching solution beloved by her classmates. Pat and JD lived in Chicago for a short time, and it is there that their first child, Mary, was born. Upon completion of JD’s medical training in Chicago, they chose Odessa as their home because they saw great opportunity for their growing family. At the time, Odessa had only a handful of people in the medical community and no hospital. There were two pharmacists, two grocery stores, and five churches in Odessa. Pat and JD's first home was a duplex with their home in one half, and JD’s medical practice in the other, which was on Alleghaney Street, where the Cone Medical Building stands today. Their second child, Jeff, was born in Big Spring, because there was no hospital in Odessa. Pat worked as a chemist for Phillips Petroleum and became increasingly involved in civic organizations and benefits. She helped organize the first Medical Auxiliary, raising funds for many benefits throughout West Texas. Pat and JD's third child, Janie, was born in Raymondville. The family stayed with Isham and Jane, as at the time, JD was in a M.A.S.H. 4077 unit at the front lines of the Korean conflict, the same unit the movie was based upon.

Pat became instrumental in creating the Crystal Ball Charity that funded the Odessa Rehabilitation Center. She also helped organize the Odessa Republican Party, and often said that the first meeting was so small, it could have been held in a phone booth. The first Republican District Court Judge credited his election to Pat’s connections and Ronald Reagan and George Bush were chauffeured in Pat’s car during visits to Odessa. Their fourth child, Brad, was later born in Odessa. Pat also helped organize the Odessa Christian School, the first religious school in Odessa. She was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution. She continued charitable work, Feed the Hungry Programs well into her 90s, and she played bridge and enjoyed friendships until a year before her death.

Pat is survived by her four children, Mary Cone Veatch, Jeffrey Donald Cone Sr., Jane Elizabeth Anderson, and John Bradford Cone. She had twelve grandchildren, eighteen great grandchildren, and one great- great- grandchild with another on the way. Pat loved her family. She had a great sense of humor and loved to laugh. She was a loving grandmother, helping raise her first four grandchildren and created a sweet, playful, and special relationship with each new addition to her family. She made lasting contributions to her community and to society, leaving a remarkable legacy of service and love that reaches across Texas.